1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for registering devices in a gateway, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for registering devices in a gateway in a multi-gateway environment.
2. Description of the Related Art
The Internet, which is a human centered connectivity network where humans generate and consume information, is now evolving to the Internet of Things (IoT) where distributed entities, such as things, exchange and process information without human intervention. The Internet of Everything (IoE), which is a combination of the IoT technology and the Big Data processing technology through connection with a cloud server, has emerged. As technology elements, such as “sensing technology,” “wired/wireless communication and network infrastructure,” “service interface technology,” and “security technology” have increased in demand for IoT implementation, a sensor network, a Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication, Machine Type Communication (MTC), and so forth have recently been researched.
Such an IoT environment may provide intelligent Internet technology services that create a new value to human life by collecting and analyzing data generated among connected things. IoT may be applied to a variety of fields including smart home, smart building, smart city, smart car or connected cars, smart grid, health care, smart appliances and advanced medical services through convergence and combination between existing Information Technology (IT) and various industrial applications.
In conventional home network systems, devices inside a home usually have been managed by a single gateway. As the era of IoT is coming and the smart home market is growing, a multi-gateway environment that supports various types of devices and allows for the network coverage enlargement will be introduced in the near future. In a multi-gateway environment, one of the most important issues is related to a device management, i.e., a process to detect the optimal gateway when a new device is registered. Conventional arts are, however, disadvantageous because they have not provided a method of detecting an optimal gateway.
Conventional technologies for device management by a multi-gateway are related to a method of registering a Home Network System, a Register Controller and Home devices. Devices may be registered in a Register Controller. A gateway performs management by mapping the Unique Identification Number (UID) of a Register Controller to a region that the Register Controller belonged to. When there is a plurality of gateways capable of being registered, conventional technologies have not determined the optimal gateway to manage devices.